Brain & Cognition

·

Study

Psilocybin Therapy's Cognitive Gains in Depression Were Small

Psilocybin Therapy's Cognitive Gains in Depression Were Small

Psilocybin mushrooms

What they found

Psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression gave small cognitive gains, with only 4–12% showing reliable improvement.

Psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression gave small cognitive gains, with only 4–12% showing reliable improvement.

The number

only 4-12%showed meaningful improvement

How solid is it?

Early human

Early human

Evidence ladder: Lab dish → Animal → Early human → Strong human. Reviews summarize earlier research.

At a glance

Latin name

Compound

psilocybin

psilocybin

Published in

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry

Covered in Shroom Scan

Section

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

As it ran in Shroom Scan

Cognitive Lift

Cognitive Lift

Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy showed small, short-term improvements in processing speed and executive function for people with treatment-resistant depression. Scores on tasks like TMT-A, TMT-B, and the TMTB-A executive measure improved significantly even after accounting for mood changes (p values from <.001 to .022). But when researchers looked at reliable change, only 4-12%showed meaningful improvement, which did not exceed chance. The findings suggest any cognitive gains may reflect practice effects or normal variability rather than a strong therapeutic impact.

Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy showed small, short-term improvements in processing speed and executive function for people with treatment-resistant depression. Scores on tasks like TMT-A, TMT-B, and the TMTB-A executive measure improved significantly even after accounting for mood changes (p values from <.001 to .022). But when researchers looked at reliable change, only 4-12%showed meaningful improvement, which did not exceed chance. The findings suggest any cognitive gains may reflect practice effects or normal variability rather than a strong therapeutic impact.

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